Help me decide

[bajaespuma]

For the last several months, I've been using a very nice local laundromat in Branford called the Sea Suds. I haven't used a laundromat since college, 45 years ago. I'm renovating my house and all of my vintage machines are either in storage (the ones I want to keep), gone to a neighbor who takes them away gratis to sell as scrap, and decorating my backyard waiting to be repaired or disassembled for parts.

One nice surprise at the Sea Suds was the variety of Huebsch and Speed Queen FL's that go from very large to Ginormous. Same with the dryers. The other surprise is that, and this makes sense in many ways, the machines are fast. The third thing that impressed me are these wonderful tables that are the perfect height for folding.

So I've decided I want some of these conveniences. Some manufactures out there, such as LG now offer MEGA laundry pairs that offer an FL washer with a 5.8 cu ft. drum and a matching dryer with a 9 cu ft. drum. both in a 30"-wide cabinets. I will track down the manufacturer of those tables and make sure I have one made for my future new Big Beautiful Launderette. I want one of those chrome mesh laundry carts with the hanger poles too.

I went to PC Richards this weekend( many of my friends recommend this store because they are one of the few places that take care of repairs themselves) to see the MEGAS in person, but so far none of the 3 PC stores in our general area have them on display. I talked to a very nice salesman who I thought would jump at the chance to make a 4K + sale, but he surprised me by telling me (in a low voice) that if a customer wanted to spend that much money he/she would be wiser to buy a Miele product even though their drums are half-the MEGA'S size. That made me trust him; he knew something about washing machines.

I asked him to explain his point and he said (again in a low voice) that a washer like the MEGA that had to tumble and then balance and spin such a large load of wet laundry might not be up to the task because these weren't professional laundry machines like the Huebsches and the Speed Queens. I saw his point.

He steered me to a pair of similar smaller LG's and I've included scans of all 4 machines down below for y'all to look at.

I would consider ENTHUSIASTICALLY a Speed Queen FL machine but it pisses me off that they refuse to offer a machine that heats it's own water. For me, that's non-negotiable. Pity.

Also, concerning the 9 cu ft. LG MEGA dryer I can't help but wonder if I would be buying into another disappointment the way those GE Big-Load dryers from the '70's caused many dealers to refuse to sell them because early sales received lots of complaints from people who spent the extra money for them, and then found out that their heaters and coils weren't big enough or powerful enough to increase the drying speed in those big drums. I remember the GE dealer in upstate NY who convinced my Parents to buy the GE standard-sized dryer instead to avoid that issue.

So whaddya think?

 

[DADoES]

Your linked images are painfully slow to display/download for me.

ETA: The images displayed much quicker now, 6 hrs later.

 

[henene4]

In general, I'm of the conviction that with dryers, it's still a 'the bigger, the better' argument, regardless of heater size etc. More space means less creasing, simple as that.
Unlike with a washer, even if you only use half it's actual capacity, you only loose a small percentage of efficiency and more importantly basically nothing in time.
Even if the heaters on both are the same according to your posted pictures, the additional 1.6cuft will give you a few pounds more to work with.


With the washer, it's a bit more nuanced.
The previous gen 5.8cuft machine had a completely different cabinet front, with the dispensers somewhere else, the control panel in the door, etc.
And it did not have the inverter pumps that are so amazingly quiet.

Now, even though they changed those things, it appears they got rid of the manual dosing entirely. And for .8 cuft? What does not fit in a 5 cuft drum?
Keep in mind many cycles, especially those heating the water, kind of limit your load size anyway. And the super quick wash times with TurboWash are really only ment for small-ish loads up to something like 10lbs or there about - above that, it just will add on time again.

And: Balancing was an issue on the previous gen.
At some point, load sizes are just that large and forces involved so massive that you gotta be somewhat careful with that.
This newer version is much better than the previous gens probably - all machines, at least the 5cuft, should have a 3D-accelerometer fitted which allows it to more exactly sense any OOB situation and thus be quicker with spins.



So, I'd be very weary about recommending the 5.8 model.
It is larger and will probably perform just fine.
But why spend so much more on a volume that realistically will never be of actual use.

 

[bajaespuma]

Thank you. I didn't know that the MEGA doesn't allow for manual dosing. I still like to use powdered detergents and those automtic dispenser systems only work for liquid. That alone might be the deal-breaker.

 

[henene4]

They (usually) advice you to just dose in the drum and turn off the dosing in the manual.
But there is no physical dispenser, as far as I understand.

 

[launderess]

Salesman is correct. For anyone in North American market wanting a domestic washing machine anywhere near approaching commercial (even if OPL) laundry standards, go with Miele. Both their domestic and certainly "Little Giant" series are more than capable of many duty cycles per day and built to last.

Most if not all other washing machines sold in USA (h-axis) with exception of SQ go on about size (capacity) but really cannot cope in the long run.

Yes, cycle times on domestic laundromat washers are rather quick. Have said often enough SQ washers at our local when set to "Heavy" wash with "Normal" cycle are done and dusted in about 30 minutes. That's short flush, main wash ( < 10 mins) several rinses and then final spin.

For their European laundromats SQ touts customers can do huge amounts wash and be done in an hour.

https://speedqueeninvestor.com/our-laundry-stores/the-services-offered-by-our-laundry-stores/


Those times seem short but are in keeping with industrial/commercial laundries that rarely have wash cycles run about 8-12 minutes. If more contact time is required say for heavier soil or sanitation (such as healthcare laundry done at 165 F for 20 minutes) it's usually two cycles.

True commercial/industrial washer-extractors can get away with shorter wash times because mechanical action is far greater. None of this "honeycomb" drum with little dimples for lifter. SQ laundromat and rest have substantial beater bars of about 2" deep. Standing near a SQ or other laundromat washer one can often hear and feel laundry being dropped and beaten about the tub.

Don't think Alliance will ever do another SQ domestic front loader with heater. They went down that road before and it didn't work out well IIRC.

 

[launderess]

Bit of information from Germany, do with it what you will.

https://www.testberichte.de/haushaltsgeraete/2587/waschmaschinen/waschmaschinen-8-kg.html

Plug into any good online translator if required for English from German.
From above linked article:

"

Does a washing machine with a capacity of 8 kg make sense for me at all?​

8 kg of laundry is a whole chunk. It's hard to imagine, but in fact, according to Stiftung Warentest, this corresponds to 3 bed sheets, 12 pillowcases and 25 towels. Even if you probably end up with jeans, T-shirts, sweaters, socks and shirts on a regular basis, a single household would have had to collect laundry for a long time to fill the 8 kg drum. Couples would also have to work hard to fill up the washing machine.

You will have less difficulty regularly using the washing capacity of 8 kg if you live with two to three other people. Especially as a family with children, it should not be a problem to run the washing machine regularly well filled.

The magic word here is "regularly". Because only if you really use the capacity frequently will the washing machine wash particularly energy-efficiently. Even an automatic quantity system does not change this. Although it ensures that consumption is adjusted downwards with a lower laundry filling quantity, it is not linear.

You know your washing needs best yourself. However, for orientation, we recommend the following washing machine sizes

• Singles: Washing machines with 5 or 6 kg
• Pairs: Washing machines with 6 kg
• Households of three to four people: Washing machines with 7 or 8 kg
• Large households of five or more: Washing machines with 9 or 10 kg

Of course, there are also washing machines with even larger drums. LG, for example, has F11WM17VT2 a true monster in the program, which washes a whole 17 kg of laundry. De facto, however, the device is unlikely to be of interest to a normal household and is more likely to be used in hotels with their own laundry or other businesses.

/quote

 

[bajaespuma]

Thanks to all of you who responded.

What about the MEGA dryer? Are these another bait and switch like the GE/Hotpoint machines? Big capacity with insufficient power and air-flow? I'd be willing to pay for the huge drum if it came with the performance.

I would LOVE to get a "Little Giant" if only it didn't come with a giant Giant price-tag. But part of my intention is/was to buy a front-loader that could wash big bulky things like comforters and pillows.